Lay the Foundations℠ for excellence

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Imagine fewer injuries, faster recovery, better dancing…more joyful careers

This is the Foundations℠ dance world. I developed it with and for:

  • Dance educators who want to bring a sophisticated anatomical lens to their classes and help dancers work in healthy harmony with their bodies.

  • Studio directors who want to accelerate their dancers' growth and be better equipped for the inevitable challenges of injury.

  • Choreographers who want to communicate and problem solve movement in ways that bring more nuance to their art and reduce frustration within their creative process.

  • Performers who want to develop and access deeper understanding of their own dancing bodies, building awareness, strength, and mobility.

Foundations℠ Training and Certification

The Foundations℠ training and certification program provides dance artists and educators with the tools to prepare the dancing body, reduce the risk of injury, promote recovery, and provide a foundation for artistic excellence.

Join a network of educators committed to forging the training cultures of the future so that they are more humane, more efficient, and more artful.

The program is composed of three units. Foundations One is a 12-week online course and Foundations Two and Three are 5 day in person intensives. Each unit builds on the material covered in the previous unit with the goal of developing applied skills in seeing, sensing and strategizing movement. In addition to covering a full kinesthetic anatomy of the body, you will also experience the Anneke Hansen Method of dance education in weekly movement classes. Guest lecturers from relevant fields such as physical therapy, endocrinology and manual therapy join us in each unit.   

Full certification entails minimum of 109 contact hours of training plus an additional 16 lecture hours, totaling 125 hours of guided instruction on the following topics: 

  • Musculoskeletal anatomy as it relates to dance 

  • Introductory structural assessments for dancers 

  • Processes of inflammation, hormones signaling, and tissue repair 

  • Common injuries and therapeutic protocols 

  • Exercise and class design 

  • Population specific activities and cuing 

  • Effective and ethical cuing

While you must complete the units in order, you can pace your completion of the Second and Third units so that it is convenient to you. It is possible to take some of the courses without pursuing certification, however you must complete all three units within 2 years if you wish to qualify for certification.

After completing the Foundations℠ certification, students have the option to continue studying by taking individual workshops or by joining an advanced training supervision group.

  • Foundations℠ One

    This 12-week online course will provide you with a solid understanding of basic musculoskeletal anatomy for dance and movement. It will help you begin to develop the ability to see movement through an anatomical lens, allowing you to refine your skills as a performer and teacher.

    COURSE DETAILS

  • Foundations℠ Two

    Level two builds upon the foundation laid in level one. Now equipped with an overview of musculoskeletal anatomy, students will come together in-person for a five day intensive. Anatomy will be reviewed with the additional hands-on tools of palpation and muscle testing to reinforce the understanding gained in Level One.

    COURSE DETAILS

  • Foundations℠ Three

    Level three is a final five day in-person intensive. As before, you and your cohort will begin each day with a movement class led by Anneke. Review topics will be selected by the group prior to the intensive and students will be asked to present practice cases, either from their own teaching or dancing practices.

    COURSE DETAILS

Foundations spans January 2027 - April 2027. Full Tuition: $3,300. Registration deadline: January 1, 2027

A non-refundable $400 deposit is required at the time of registration in order to reserve your place in the class. This deposit will be deducted from the remaining tuition due. Early bird discount: $3,000

Register and pay in full by December 1, 2026  for a discount of $300.

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Collaborating Educators

Dr. Stephen Xue, DPT
The Clinic

Dr. Caroline Schmidt, DPT
MOTI Physiotherapy

Dr. Nicky Keay
Hormone Health Expert, medical advisor to Scottish Ballet,
Honorary Clinical Lecturer in the Division of Medicine, University College London

Austin Selden,
LMT, NASM certified trainer, former Shen Wei Dance Arts company member

Miriam Barlow
Certified Rolfer, Structural Integration and Visceral Manipulation

  • As a mover, I also feel as though I have DRAMATICALLY changed the way I’m able to strategize when I’m working. Prior to engaging with this work, I felt as though my ability to “be on my leg” was unreliable, and making it reliable felt like a nebulous task. I didn’t understand that I could engage my body in a different way; I just thought that this was how I was made. It’s exciting and empowering to have a set of tools that give me greater confidence in my ability to do my work.

    — Khris Beeson

  • I was thrilled to finally study anatomy specifically in relation to dancers and the movements that are required of them. There were so many new lessons, eye opening moments and clarifications that I cannot begin to list them.

    — Hannah Peacock

  • I really appreciate the requirement to absolutely experience this work in your own body as part of the course. I also immensely appreciated that this was doable because the methodology is accessible to everyone and not only for the elite (in excellent shape) dancer.

    — Foundations Graduate

  • [Anneke Hansen Dance is] changing the trajectory for dancers and I am excited to be a part of the Foundations and to share this magic and help others in their journey of movement - safely, strongly, healthily and artistically - while also continuing to deepen my practice in my own body.

    — Izel Pienaar

MEET THE GRADUATES